Mental health care treatment seeking among African Americans and Caribbean Blacks: what is the role of religiosity/spirituality?

Aging Ment Health. 2019 Jul;23(7):905-911. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2018.1453484. Epub 2018 Apr 2.

Abstract

Objectives: As adults increase in age, the likelihood for using mental health care services decrease. Underutilization, expecially among racial/ethnic minorities such as African American and Caribbean Blacks, can result in a decrease in quality of life, as well as significant costs to families, employers, and health systems.

Methods: The study explored the differences in relationships between mental health care usage and strength of religious/spiritual beliefs between African American and Caribbean Black older adults (54 years or older) and adults (18-53 years) using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL). Descriptive statistics and logistic regression analyses were conducted using Stata version 13.1.

Results: Subjective ratings about the strength of religious/spiritual beliefs (OR = 1.26; 95 CI: 0.99, 1.61), age (OR = 0.62; 95 CI: 0.48, 0.81), and sex (OR = 1.59; 95 CI: 1.25, 2.02) were significantly associated with the odds of seeking mental health care. Additionally, persons living in the South were less likely to seek mental health care services (OR = 0.47; 95 CI: 0.37, 0.60).

Conclusion: Strong religious/spiritual beliefs may promote mental health care usage. Future studies should examine the strength of religious/spiritual beliefs on mental health care usage among different demographic groups.

Keywords: Aging; NSAL; mental health services; religion; spirituality.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Black People / ethnology*
  • Black or African American / ethnology
  • Caribbean Region / ethnology
  • Facilities and Services Utilization / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mental Health Services / statistics & numerical data*
  • Middle Aged
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care / ethnology*
  • Religion and Psychology*
  • Sex Factors
  • United States / ethnology
  • Young Adult